Simply as a practical necessity, Christians have always paid closer attention to the doctrine of the church in times of rising cultural opposition. It’s like being a homeowner in coastal Florida when the news forecasts another hurricane. Is that homeowner’s insurance policy up to date?
Historical examples are easy to recount. The third and fourth century church long debated how to deal with the “lapsi.” These were the Christians who renounced Christ and sided with Caesar under persecution, but then repented and wanted back into the church. In the years following the Cultural Revolution, house churches in China, for the sake of protecting themselves, sometimes erected more hurdles to membership than anything you will find on an Olympic track.
Evangelicals in America today, too, recognize that the cultural and legal landscape is shifting beneath their feet. Last week’s gunslingers’ dual between religious freedom and sexual freedom in Mike Pence’s Indiana left religious liberty with a bullet in the gut, if not in the heart. The question is, do evangelicals realize that it’s past time to pull those by-laws and statements of faith out of the file drawer and re-read the fine print? Keep reading
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